Strategies for Small Cell Network Deployments for 4G and Beyond

Current smart phone usage trends indicate that there will be a huge increase in global mobile user traffic. In the next five years alone, the mobile user traffic is expected to reach 11.2 Exabyte per month. Small Cells and Small Cell Networks are expected to play a pivotal role in addressing the capacity needs for such a traffic surge in the mobile networks.

Small Cells and Carrier WiFi are important factors for the success of an LTE deployment and public areas will be the key drivers for the small-cell market. Small cells are typically used to provide in-building and outdoor wireless coverage and capacity. Estimates suggest that with small cells, mobile operators can offload almost 80% of traffic during peak times.

The name "small" should not fool anyone, as the planning stage of Small Cell deployment can often take almost as long as macro cell planning. The choice of Small Cell technology is driven by many factors including type of solution (consumer, enterprise, public area, rural area), usage patterns, and more. There are many other considerations after deployment as well including proper timing for implementation of optimization technologies such as Self-organizing Network (SON) solutions.

This report provides a fundamental technical understanding of the Small Cell operation as well as the business drivers for deployment from a mobile network operator's perspective. The report evaluates the current state of the industry Small Cell deployment in 3G and LTE and presents a vision for anticipated future of Small Cells beyond 4G. This is the only report of its type that provides specific and critical insights and information needed for Small Cell design and strategic planning.

Report Benefits:

Market forecast for carrier WiFi and Small Cells 2013 - 2018Understand market status and identify anticipated future trendsUnderstand technical aspects of Small Cell deployment strategiesUnderstand operational issues associated with deploying and operating Small CellsIdentify early research work being performed by vendors for potential 5G technologiesUnderstand the role and importance of optimization technologies including Self-organizing Network (SON)Identify specific vendor products, solutions and product features to support a successful Small Cell deployment